Next Shot

The 2024 winner of the Pierre Angénieux Special Encouragement Award is of Estonian origin. She has been based in the USA for 12 years, spending time in China first, just after finishing high school. This was her first experience living abroad, where she studied, learned a bit of the language and shot her first documentary films. Kadri Koop is a curious young woman, with varied experiences around the world, now working between Europe and Hollywood, where she resides and tends to a beautiful vegetable garden under the Californian sun.
She’s here at Cannes to talk to us about images, faces and zoom lenses! (FR)

Carried by a dazzling cast, with young Mikey Madison in the lead role as a stripper, Sean Baker’s Anora is a captivating film. Its writing is both simple and precise, steering the plot in one direction only to better surprise the audience and ultimately deliver a powerful final scene that is likely to go down in festival history. Shot like great American cinematographers of the 70s used to do (Kodak film, 4-perf Scope, zoom lenses, and negative flashing during shooting), this cinematic tour de force is truly one of the major events of the 77^th edition of the Festival. Drew Daniels, who shot the film, explains that nothing replaces the thrill one can experience on such a film as a director of photography, making creative decisions live on set rather than relying solely on modern digital camera & post-production tools. (FR)

After a diversion through England to shoot Firebrand, which was selected for the official competition last year on the Croisette, Karim Aïnouz returns to his homeland to direct Motel Destino, a colourful erotic thriller shot very close to his hometown of Fortaleza, Brazil. It marks the third collaboration between the director and cinematographer Hélène Louvart, AFC, aiming to (re)create the visual universe of an unusual place and to convey the human relationships that take place there, filled with humour and tension. For the second year running, Karim Aïnouz’s work has been selected for the Official Competition, at the 77^th edition of the Cannes Film Festival. (BB)

Julien Colona’s first feature film, Le Royaume, tells the story of a young girl who discovers her father’s true nature, and tries to love him at all costs. The relationship thus forged resembles a journey of initiation along the roads of the Isle of Beauty. A film with Corsicans, shot in Corsica, by a Corsican filmmaker. With cinematographer Antoine Cormier, we immerse ourselves in the making of this two-faceted thriller. Le Royaume is in the Un Certain Regard Official Selection at the 77^th Cannes Film Festival. After three years as a camera assistant, Antoine Cormier went on to light short films, music videos and commercials. His passion: shooting on film. When he met Julien Colonna on a commercial, they shared a passion for doing "well with little". (BB)

A unique blend of Buster Keaton-style silent comedy and vampire film invoking Expressionism, "Sister Midnight" by Karan Kandhari is above all an original female portrait set in the slums of Bombay. Although the director is of Indian origin, he lives and works in England, and his directing style and use of music reveal his distinctly British sense of humor. Here are the secrets behind the making of this strange comedy, whose style alternates between the frenetic and the very calm, reminiscent of the rhythm of a Pixies song. The cinematography is by British-Norwegian director of photography Sverre Sørdal, and the film was shot on Kodak and Panavision.

Adapté du dernier roman éponyme de l’écrivain Pierric Bailly, Le Roman de Jim (paru chez POL en 2021), interroge la paternité en dehors des liens du sang. Le tournage s’est passé entièrement dans le Haut-Jura, dans les décors décrits dans le livre. Ce sont les frères Larrieu, Arnaud et Jean-Marie – le tandem de réalisateurs qui tournent tous leurs films à la montagne, Peindre ou faire l’amour, Tralala…– qui s’emparent de ce mélodrame. Ils font appel à la directrice de la photographie Irina Lubtchansky, AFC, pour signer l’image de cette saga qui s’étale sur 25 ans. Elle nous propose un retour sur cette première collaboration avec deux réalisateurs qui donnent le ton au cinéma d’auteur français. Avec Le Roman de Jim, les frères Larrieu sont de retour au Festival de Cannes 2024, en sélection officielle Cannes Première. (BB)

Adapted from the latest novel by writer Pierric Bailly, Le Roman de Jim (published by POL in 2021) explores fatherhood outside of blood ties. The film was shot entirely in the Haut Jura, in the settings described in the book. The Larrieu brothers, Arnaud and Jean-Marie, - the directing duo who shoot all their films in the mountains, such as Peindre ou faire l’amour and Tralala – directed this melodrama. They called on cinematographer Irina Lubtchansky, AFC, to craft the visuals of this saga spanning 25 years. She reflects on this first collaboration with two directors who set the tone for French auteur cinema. With Le Roman de Jim, the Larrieu brothers return to the Cannes Film Festival in 2024, in the Cannes Première official selection. (BB)

C’est pas moi is a self-portrait by Leos Carax made up of recent footage, excerpts from his films, personal and public photographic archives, images found on the internet, titles and texts. Considering the variety of mediums used in the film, there is a paradox in the fact that the visuals are attributed to me. But I take it as a recognition of our bond to the images from his previous films, those shot for this 40-minute medium-length film, and perhaps also the will to integrate images from elsewhere into a present cinema. (CC)

A steroid-enhanced variation on a classic piece of fantastic literature (Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray or Balzac’s La Peau de chagrin), The Substance offers director Coralie Fargeat the opportunity to bring two 1980s superstars back into the limelight—and to pour thousands of blood gallons onto the Grand Théâtre Lumière screen. While homages to Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining and Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo are instantly recognizable, British cinematographer Benjamin Kračun also cites Roman Polanski’s Repulsion and Paul Verhoeven’s Total Recall, two other major studio films. He further explains how this strange film, which every single shot smells California , was entirely made in France, between Paris and Nice. The Substance is in competition for the 77^th Palme d’Or. (FR)

A variation on steroids on a classic of fantasy literature (Oscar Wilde’s Dorian Gray or Balzac’s La Peau de chagrin), The Substance offers director Coralie Fargeat the opportunity to propel two 1980s super stars back to the top of the bill... and spill thousands of liters of blood on the screen of the Grand Théâtre Lumière. While the strong homages to Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining and Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo are obvious at a glance, British cinematographer Benjamin Kračun, BSC, also cites Roman Polanski’s Repulsion and Paul Verhoeven’s Total Recall, two other great studio films. He also explains how this strange, California-scented film was shot entirely in France, between Paris and Nice... The Substance is in competition for the 77^th Palme d’Or. (FR)

After more than 10 years of absence, the filmmaker behind The Godfather and Apocalypse Now returns with an extremely personal project in which he has invested a significant portion of his fortune. This is Megalopolis, a fable aimed at younger generations that reinterprets classical texts from ancient Rome in the context of a futuristic city reminiscent at times of Batman’s Gotham. It is also a family film with many main roles, featuring extensive sets and special effects to immerse the audience in this anticipatory atmosphere. The film is shot by Romanian-born cinematographer Mihai Malaimare Jr., ASC, a loyal collaborator of the director for nearly 20 years. The film is in Official competition for the 77^th Palme d’Or.

Opening Un Certain Regard competition, Icelandic director Rúnar Rúnarsson’s new film is about grief and lies. The young Icelandic actress and singer Elin Hall plays an ambiguous character, torn between the pain of losing her man and the impossibility of revealing him to others... Swedish cinematographer Sophia Olsson shot the film, which is almost entirely shot in Iceland’s capital, and whose iconic locations will undoubtedly evoke memories for lovers of this timeless city. (FR)

Part experimental film, part documentary, part fantasy, Camila Beltrán’s Mi Bestia portrays a young girl transitioning from childhood in 1990s Bogotá. Sylvain Verdet shot the images for this first original feature film, having previously collaborated on Beltrán’s short film Pacifico Obscuro four years prior. Mi Bestia has been selected at ACID. (FR)

Sophie Fillières’ filming of Agnès Jaoui, who plays Barberie Bichette in Ma vie, ma gueule (This Life of Mine), tells the story of a woman in her mid-fifties. Her loyal collaborator, Emmanuelle Collinot, shot the director’s last film before she died just a few weeks after shooting ended. The pitch of the film "how to deal with oneself, with death, with life in short..." particularly resonates for Ma vie, ma gueule, which opens the 2024 Quinzaine des Cinéastes. (BB)

The Rotterdam International Film Festival, in association with the NSC (Netherlands Society of Cinematographers) celebrates the memory of great cinematographer Robby Müller every year by awarding the prize that bears his name to an up-and-coming filmmaker. In past years, recipients of the award have included Diego Garcia (a Mexican cinematographer who worked with Darius Khondji, AFC, ASC, on the series “Too Old to Die Young” in 2020, and Hélène Louvart, AFC, in 2023. This year, it is the turn of Belgian cinematographer Grimm Vandekerckhove to be recognized. We discuss this award with him, and particularly his work with Belgian director Bas Devos for whom he has shot two films (Ghost Tropic in 2019 and Here in 2023). (FR)

Le Festival international du film de Rotterdam, en association avec la NSC (Association néerlandaise des directeurs de la photographie), célèbre chaque année la mémoire du grand directeur de la photo Robby Müller en décernant le prix qui porte son nom à un cinéaste en devenir. Après Diego Garcia (directeur de la photo mexicain ayant notamment signé avec Darius Khondji, AFC, ASC, la série "Too Old to Die Young"), en 2020, ou Hélène Louvart, AFC, en 2023, c’est au tour cette année du directeur de la photo belge Grimm Vandekerckhove d’être honoré. On revient avec lui sur cette récompense, et sur son travail notamment avec le réalisateur belge Bas Devos pour lequel il a notamment signé l’image de deux films (Ghost Tropic, en 2019, et Here, en 2023). (FR)

En décembre 2023, un long métrage et une série en tournage pour Next Shot Group, et, sur les écrans, sept longs métrages, fictions télévision et de plateforme, photographiés par cinq membres de l’AFC.

Le département Caméra a déjà pris ses quartiers dans nos nouveaux locaux situés 1, route de la Révolte, à Saint-Denis, non loin de la Cité du Cinéma. Les départements Machinerie et Lumière suivront dans les prochaines semaines. Nous serons de nouveau tous réunis sous le même toit.